Projects

The Whitaker Institute houses a range of research projects.

Dr. Lorraine Morgan was awarded €128,600 from Lero, Science Foundation Ireland for a four-year project on Inner Source & Digital Platforms. The overall aim of this project is to investigate how adopting inner source can help organisations develop open digital platforms. The specific research objectives are: To examine the extent to which Inner Source can help... | Read on »

Proposal Description The use of web conferencing platforms has risen dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic allowing many businesses to continue to operate and people to socialise. However, it has also been widely reported that the extensive use of such platforms has taken a toll on users. Recent studies indicate that user engagement with certain web... | Read on »

There is an urgent need globally, regionally and locally to identify Climate Resilient Development Pathways that integrate climate mitigation and adaptation policies, together with other social, economic and environmental considerations. Climate change threatens to undermine sustainable development, while also reinforcing inequalities both locally and internationally. At the same time, particular patterns and forms of economic... | Read on »

Policy Impacts The Whitaker Institute’s remote working project, reports and data has extensively informed the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s national remote working strategy published in January 2021. Read more about the Making Remote Work – National Remote Work Strategy report here. For more information… If you would like more information about this project... | Read on »

NUI Galway’s 2020-2025 strategic plan, Shared Vision: Shaped by Values, is built on four core values: respect, openness, excellence, and sustainability. This project focuses on the value of respect and the plan’s flagship goal of developing a Respect Charter for the university. The project aims to generate a detailed and evidence-based understanding of the role... | Read on »

The MuMiFaST project gathers European expertise on the value chain related to undersized non-uniform mussel biomass compared to mussels produced for human consumption. As either a new industry utilizing undersized mussels, or as one focused on maximizing production of heterogeneous mussel biomass, this marine bioresource can be produced sustainably, and exhibits promise in use as... | Read on »

The Inclusive Learning at NUI Galway project had a number of aims. In the first instance it set out to enhance inclusive teaching and learning practice at the university for postgraduate students, particularly those from diverse backgrounds. Funded by National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, the goal of the... | Read on »

The Citizen Development Lab was established with a view to supporting organisations to research improved approaches to sustain digital transformations through the rapid-cycle innovation it enables. There is growing evidence that Citizen Development can have a profound impact on organisations’ operational efficiency and agility. By empowering people to solve problems, we can also scale transformations... | Read on »

Results coming from previous experiences demonstrate that approaches where the community is a key participant, are a very effective way of delivering more effective public services that respond to real demands. Nevertheless, additional factors should be considered to address the challenges faced by the NPA regions. Among them we identify: Need of establishing a wider... | Read on »

The transition towards clean-energy is ongoing, but urgent challenges remain regarding the pace of its development, its direction in terms of social, economic, and, especially, environmental aspects of sustainable development, its interlinkage with other societal developments and its side-effects. This situation of an ‘under way’ transition is no longer an exclusive matter for social and... | Read on »

National and international research shows that what happens to a child during pregnancy and the first 2 years of life will influence the child’s health and wellbeing for their lifetime. This is a critical developmental stage as it is within early childhood that a child’s brain and biological system rapidly develop. Favourable experiences, which... | Read on »

The Marine Institute and National University of Ireland Galway have identified the need for collaboration in the area of marine socio-economic data collection and analysis, with the aim of ensuring that public services they have to perform are provided with a view to achieving objectives they have in common. This collaboration aims to address a... | Read on »

Climate change is one of the greatest societal challenges of our time, and a key priority outlined in national/international strategies and policies. The CÓIR project brings together an interdisciplinary group of marine scientists based at NUI Galway to work on an integrative national climate change project with colleagues at the Marine Institute and throughout Ireland... | Read on »

The interdisciplinary consortium who will deliver this programme includes national leaders and internationally recognised experts in diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease prevention. The CDP-CDP is a structured doctoral programme combining elements of the HRB doctoral training Programme in Population Health and Health Services Research (SPHeRE) with tailored CDP-CDP specific components, delivered over a four year... | Read on »

It is important to protect the mental health of frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, because they shoulder a large burden of treating people who are affected by the disease. But the current guidelines about mental health protection for frontline healthcare workers typically relate to incidents such as terrorist attacks and natural disasters. The... | Read on »

Project Background: Many chronic illnesses can be prevented if people adopt healthier behaviours. The Making Every Contact Count (MECC) programme, developed by the Health Service Executive (HSE), aims to train all healthcare professionals to support patients to adopt healthy behaviours during routine healthcare contacts. Even small changes to behaviour, such as exercising more or eating... | Read on »

Ireland has a high proportion of Europe’s remaining peatlands, including a variety of raised and blanket bogs, fens and wet and dry heath. These peatlands have immense value as carbon sinks and protect biodiversity as well as providing other ecosystem services. While the harvesting of peatlands is detrimental to the environment, restored bog can actively... | Read on »

As part of their “Joining the Dots” programme to encourage deeper economic ties between regions of Ireland and regions of the UK, the British Embassy in Ireland commissioned Professor Jonathan Levie and Dr Majella Giblin of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics at National University of Ireland Galway to conduct an analysis of... | Read on »

The project examines how information technology is enabling new approaches to legal practice and the work of courts, and how Irish law should respond to the rapid innovation that is taking place. AI-based tools could reduce legal costs and make it easier for individuals to get better-quality legal advice where and when they need it.... | Read on »

The overall objective of this research project is to explore how the maritime transport (MT) industry can support the growth of the Irish economy. As an internationally trading island economy, economic activity in Ireland is highly dependent on maritime transportation. Consumers depend on the MT industry to obtain imported consumer goods; Ireland’s export sectors depend... | Read on »

Against the backdrop of a deep COVID-19-related recession, with the rate of unemployment expected to remain at elevated levels over the near term, Ireland’s ocean economy industries offer prospects for new sources of growth, jobs, innovation and economic resilience. Prof. Alan Ahearne and Dr. Stephen Hynes from the Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) at the... | Read on »

If you are an NUIG student, are/have been an employee/PAYE worker this year or any of the previous 4 years and are unsure about whether your tax affairs are in order please consider making an appointment. You may be due a refund or need to have your tax credits put in order! The goal of... | Read on »

Economic growth requires a supply of affordable energy. The improved cost effectiveness of wind-energy has made it increasingly viable technology for this function. Wind-farms are associated with community-objection due to the perceived disruption they create. This can undermine swift transition to wind-based energy production. The EU Renewable Energy Directive sets out to achieve 20% of... | Read on »

Given the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus, the State has had to respond rapidly and quite severely to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the virus. This has had significant implications across Ireland on many aspects of life, health, economic and social and has been highly asymmetric with different groups affected in... | Read on »

Physical distancing has been a critical part of the global response to the spread of COVID-19. Can a new project help us to better understand what helps and what hinders physical distancing and inform how best to communicate about the need for current and any future relaxed distancing measures? Dr Gerry Molloy from the School... | Read on »

Big Ideas for Better Schools is an Erasmus+ funded Project which brings together school leaders, teachers and university researchers from Ireland, Norway, Poland and Spain. The project aims to provide a platform for young people, education practitioners and researchers to explore the topics of diversity, democracy and equity in various national as well as in... | Read on »

A quadruple helix Atlantic Area healthy food Ecosystem for growth of SMEs (AHFES) is a project that seeks to improve the competitiveness and growth of SMEs in the value chain of healthy eating and daily life, contributing to the development of a transnational innovation ecosystem that helps entities to access information, partners and markets and... | Read on »

The overarching goal of the project is to carry out research which will underpin the Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth Strategy and the forthcoming National Marine Spatial Plan by describing, modelling and analysing the current state of the marine tourism and leisure sector and by proposing policy measures; thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the marine tourism... | Read on »

Antibiotic resistance (AR) is recognised internationally as one of the greatest threats to humanity. Antibiotic resistant organisms (AROs) and antibiotic residues in livestock, human and industrial waste streams are released in great quantities to natural recreational water environments, including lakes and coastal waters. However, it remains poorly understood as to what impact human exposure to... | Read on »

Surveillance Welfare and Biosecurity of farmed animals (SWAB) will address major current and emerging animal health and welfare problems in the Irish agricultural industry. The aim of the project is to improve the department’s animal health surveillance system through enhanced stakeholder engagement; to understand consumer, farmer and veterinarian concepts of animal welfare and the decision-making... | Read on »

Summary Investment in strengthening public institutions has been identified as necessary for effective policy implementation and public service delivery. Lately, key intergovernmental institutions including the OECD, UN and World Bank have identified tax administration (SDG17-Target-17.1) as one particular public institution that must be strengthened to mobilize the additional revenue required for implementing the Sustainable Development... | Read on »

UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre is currently involved in a three-year national research project, funded by the Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI), focusing on the evaluation of 10 projects which provide alternative education in Ireland. The core focus of this work is to identify successful models for scale/replication. Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI) was... | Read on »

Funded under Science Foundation Ireland’s Science Policy Research Programme and led by Professor John McHale, this project’s focus will be the study of the recruitment of star scientists on the performance of Irish science. A central challenge to government support for science is that much of the benefit spills over to other countries. That is,... | Read on »

The groundbreaking emergence of some of the most subversive voices in the panorama of Contemporary Irish fiction and cinema is currently represented by writers and filmmakers who have concentrated on disrupting the cultural practices of silence in contemporary Ireland where many forms of abuse, kept secret for a long time, have recently aroused public opinion... | Read on »

The Immersive Classroom (IC), through a series of collaborative projects and events, aims to engage youth, educators, and the general public, in critical debates about the way we think about our world, knowledge and embodied learning. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are the tools that IC will employ to demonstrate how we might... | Read on »

Under the leadership of Professor Alma McCarthy as Principal Investigator, this Science Foundation Ireland funded project (grant number: SFI 17/SPR/5334) examines the Human Resource Management (HRM) and Talent Management (TM) practices in science funding agencies in a study of Ireland, New Zealand, Finland and Hong Kong, China. Many of the world’s leading science funding agencies... | Read on »

Stakeholder engagement and consultations for the Identification of costs, key barriers and enablers of lasting behavioural change in relation to changing farming practice to reduce loads of catchment-sourced stressors, principally nutrients (primarily dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN)), fine sediment and pesticides which act to reduce Reef resilience

Humans have interacted with the Ocean since ancient times, using it as a means of transportation, recreation, a source of food and raw materials and, more recently, to generate renewable energy. Although the ocean can benefit human health and boost wellbeing by facilitating recreational and relaxation activities, it can also pose risks to human health... | Read on »

The natural resources found in the Atlantic Area differ from north to south and a collaborative approach to study them as a whole is fundamental to adapt new technologies to the available resources. Islands in the 5 Member States suffer from energy disconnection from main infrastructures and an increase on renewable energy is long desired.... | Read on »

ALICE - Improving the management of Atlantic landscapes: accouting for bIodiversity and ecosystem services

An integrative, landscape management approach incorporating socioeconomic and climate change scenarios is critical to ensure the delivery of benefits from investments in Blue and Green Infrastructures to meet the 2020 EU biodiversity targets and sustainable development in the Atlantic Region. The ALICE project will develop a comprehensive package of new methods, tools and procedures to... | Read on »

In the last decade, Europe’s ocean economy has received increasing policy attention. This can be seen in the publication and ongoing implementation of the EU’s Blue Growth Strategy, the Atlantic Strategy and its Action Plan, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, etc. These initiatives are all aimed at fostering the sustainable development of the EU’s marine resources. The impact of the... | Read on »

Dr Jane Walsh is principle applicant from NUI Galway on a successful €4,115,121 Horizon 2020 grant for a project entitled: INCluSilver: Innovation in personalised Nutrition through Cluster cooperation in the Silver economy. Dr Jane Walsh will lead on market intelligence and strategy in collaboration with her Psychology colleague, Dr Michael Hogan. INCluSilver is funded under the Industrial... | Read on »

Dr Jenny Mc Sharry was a co-applicant on a successful £2,511,765 UK National Institute for Health Research Programme Grant for an applied research project entitled “SUpport through Mobile Messaging and digital health Technology for Diabetes (SuMMiT-D)” awarded in June 2016. The project is led by Professor Andrew Farmer at the University of Oxford. Jenny Mc... | Read on »

The aim of this project is to create an International and Intersectoral network to facilitate the exchange of staff to progress developments in reminding technologies for persons with dementia which can be deployed in smart environments. The focus will be on developing staff and partner skills in the areas of user centered design... | Read on »

The HSE recommends that all healthcare workers (HCW) in Irish health services receive the seasonal influenza vaccination each year. The recommended national uptake target is 40%. Compared to adults working in non-healthcare settings, HCWs are at significantly higher risk of influenza. Achieving a high uptake of influenza vaccination among HCWs is recognised as a vital... | Read on »

The MERCES proposal will provide the EU with new, ecologically and economically sustainable protocols for the restoration of threatened and damaged marine ecosystems. European seas are being faced by a huge number of pressures from coastal development to the exploration of deep-sea minerals on the Mid Atlantic Ridge. Of all European environments, the marine environment... | Read on »

IMAJINE aims to formulate new integrative policy mechanisms to enable European, national and regional government agencies to more effectively address territorial inequalities within the European Union. It responds to evidence that spatial inequalities within the EU are increasing, contrary to the principle of territorial cohesion embedded as a third dimension of the European Social Model... | Read on »

The NRN is part of the implementation architecture for RDPs across the EU, and its primary aims are to increase stakeholder involvement, improve quality of implementation, inform the public and potential beneficiaries, and foster innovation. The Department of Agriculture has appointed a consortium led by Irish Rural Link, supported by NUI Galway, The Wheel, and... | Read on »

ATLAS creates a dynamic new partnership between multinational industries, SMEs, governments and academia to assess the Atlantic’s deep-sea ecosystems and Marine Genetic Resources to create the integrated and adaptive planning products needed for sustainable Blue Growth. ATLAS will gather diverse new information on sensitive Atlantic ecosystems (incl. VMEs and EBSAs) to produce a step-change in... | Read on »

This project has developed a new, all-island, innovation network for the public and private sectors, business bodies, academics and students, bringing them together for lectures, seminars and master classes with world-renowned experts. The All-Island Innovation Programme is delivered in partnership with InterTradeIreland, Queen’s University Belfast, NUI Galway, University College Dublin and University College Cork.

Completed Projects

RTÉ Brainstorm – Why the Government’s vacant homes tax is a missed opportunity

Inner Source & Digital Platforms

Do certain web conferencing platform features contribute to stress, fatigue, and attention deficits more than others? A neurophysiological study

Climate Resilient Places

Remote Working in Ireland

Embedding Respect in NUI Galway: Developing a Respect Charter for NUI Galway

Mussel Mitigation Feeds and Supply System Technological Development (MuMiFaST)

Inclusive Learning at NUI Galway: Centring the Student Voice in Higher Education

Citizen Development Lab

EMERGREEN

EnergyProspects (PROactive Strategies and Policies for Energy Citizenship Transformation)

Active Play for 0-3 year olds in Galway city

Strategic Partnership Agreement in Marine Socio-Economics between Marine Institute and NUI Galway

Changing Ocean Ireland: Forecasting Biodiversity and Ecosystem Response. (CÓIR)

Collaborative Doctoral Programme in Chronic Disease Prevention (CDP-CDP)

How to support mental health among frontline healthcare workers in a pandemic

‘Making MECC Work’ – Enhancing implementation of the Making Every Contact Count brief behavioural intervention programme in Ireland

Peatlands and People

BUSINESS CLUSTERS IN GALWAY/MAYO AND THE UK

Algorithms, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in the Irish Legal Services Market

Modelling Ireland’s Maritime Transport Industry (MIMTI)

Challenges and Opportunities for Ireland’s Major Ocean Economy Industries

NUI Galway Student Tax Clinic

Social acceptability of wind farms and electricity export: a discrete choice econometric approach

Real-time analysis for policy making

Understanding Physical Distancing

Big Ideas for Better Schools: Leading ‘big issue’ transformation in schools – diversity, democracy and equity

AHFES – A quadruple helix Atlantic Area healthy food Ecosystem for growth of SME’s

Usage of Irish Seas and Coastal Ecosystems for Tourism Development (UISCE Tourism)

PIER – Public Health Impact of Exposure to antibiotic resistance in recreational water

Surveillance Welfare and Biosecurity of Farmed Animals

Strengthening Public Administration Institutions Through Digital Technologies: Investigating Effective Adoption of Digital Technologies in Tax Administrations

Research Evaluation of the Education Fund

The Impact of International Star Scientists on Irish Science

Inconvenient Truths: Cultural Practices of Silence in Contemporary Irish Fiction

Galway 2020 – The Immersive Classroom

Effectively Managing Human Resources and Talent in Science Funding Agencies

Great Barrier Reef

Seas, Oceans and Public Health in Europe (SOPHIE): a Strategic Research Agenda for Europe and Beyond

SEAFUEL – Sustainable integration of renewable fuels in local transportation

ALICE – Improving the management of Atlantic Landscapes: accounting for bIodiversity and ecosystem services

MOSES: Maritime, Ocean Sector and Ecosystem Sustainability

INCluSilver

Support through Mobile Messaging and digital health Technology for Diabetes (SuMMiT-D)

REMIND: The use of computational techniques to Improve compliance to reminders within smart environments

Flu Vaccinations in Health Care Staff in the West of Ireland

MERCES: Marine Ecosystem Restoration in changing European Seas

IMAJINE: Integrative Mechanisms for Addressing Spatial Justice and Territorial Inequalities in Europe

NRN: National Rural Network

ATLAS: A Trans-AtLantic Assessment and deep-water ecosystem-based Spatial management plan for Europe

InterTrade Ireland All-Island Innovation Programme

Completed Projects

Guidance on Estimating Resource Requirements for the UN Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence

Economic Costs of Intimate Partner Violence in Mongolia

Moycullen 2030: A Village Plan

Comparing the Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Interventions Versus New Medical Treatments; Movement and Medicine?

Spatial Adjustment to Climate Impacts and Economic Development

Creating Opportunities for Engagement: Exploring the relationship between the Burren landscape and civil society

P4P – Participation for Protection

Valuing and understanding the dynamics of Ireland’s Ocean Economy

Assessing Ways of Recognising Compliant Industrial and Waste Licensees

Risk Aqua Soil

Valuing Agricultural Catchment Ecosystem Services (VACES)

SHEER

Enhancing the health and well being of cancer survivors through tailored personalised interventions using mobile technology within a self management programme

An Experimental Assessment of Learning Ability, Responsiveness to Advice and Peer Effects in Adoption Choices

Improving outcomes for young adults with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM)

IMPlementation science Resource NeTwork (IMPRNT)

James M. Flaherty Visiting Professor Award 2016-17

ENERGISE: European Network for Research, Good Practice and Innovation for Sustainable Energy

EPIIC: Environmental Policy Integration – Innovation and Change

Nature and Environment to Attain and Restore (NEAR) Health

Building shared knowledge capital to support natural resource governance in the Northern periphery

Social/Community Acceptance of High Voltage Transmission Lines and Community Gain Messaging

UNIFY-SDG: University-based Research and Education for Youth Solidarity and Equality towards Sustainable Development Goals

HAVEN: Intervening for Human Security in the Mediterranean Humanitarian Crisis

Cloughpenny

The Threat of Algocracy and the Transhumanist Project

ESkIMO: Investigating the link between Enterprise Social Media and Information Overload

Sea Change

FairTax